Published 9:19 pm, Tuesday, January 28, 2014

A Marysville police officer who was fired after his 3-year-old son used a gun left in the family van to kill the officer's 7-year-old daughter may end up getting his job back.

An arbitrator this week ruled in favor of the officer, Derek Carlile, and ordered the Marysville Police Department to reinstate him on the force, says the officer's attorney, David Allen.

The attorney says Carlile is "very pleased with the ruling." However, he's not sure if he wants the job back, Allen said. Carlile is now working outside law enforcement.

Carlile was originally charged with second-degree manslaughter in connection with the March 2012 shooting, but the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict and a mistrial was declared. Prosecutors later dropped charges against Carlile.

In May 2013, the Marysville Police Department fired Carlile. Later the case went to arbitration, ending with this week's ruling that Marysville must rehire Carlile.

Carlile's daughter, 7-year-old Jenna Carlile, was killed in the family's van on March 10, 2012.

Investigators said Carlile was off duty and headed to a wedding with his wife and children when they stopped at an art studio in Stanwood. Carlile and his wife left the children in the family van while they dropped off business cards. Carlile's loaded personal handgun was also in the van.

His son grabbed the weapon and unintentionally shot and killed Jenna, officials said.

Prosecutors argued that as a trained police officer, Carlile should have known the risks of allowing kids to be unsupervised around the gun, especially because his young son seemed fascinated with firearms. They said the child died because of Carlile's carelessness.